SHOPEE CUTS HUNDREDS OF DEVELOPER JOBS IN AI PIVOT

The layoffs position Shopee alongside other major tech companies restructuring their workforces to prioritize AI adoption. The company is redirecting focus from traditional software development roles toward building AI capabilities and next-generation services powered by the technology. Shopee, one of Southeast Asia's largest e-commerce platforms, joins a wave of industry consolidation where companies are reallocating engineering talent and budgets to AI infrastructure and applications. The cuts represent a strategic shift rather than broad financial distress, reflecting sector-wide trends of workforce optimization around emerging technologies. The exact number of affected roles and timeline for the cuts have not been fully detailed. The move underscores intensifying competition among e-commerce and tech platforms to integrate AI into their operations, from customer service automation to personalized recommendations and logistics optimization.